


On the eve of battle (oneshot)

by KizuKatana



Category: Naruto
Genre: "Knights and castles" universe, Kiba being super brave and loyal, Legend feel, M/M, Unrequited Love, big dramatic battle kind of thing, king!Naruto, knight!Sasuke, or maybe not?, subtle implication of possible magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 16:14:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8453098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KizuKatana/pseuds/KizuKatana
Summary: Sometimes it's easiest to say what you feel when you're saying goodbye. king!Naruto, knight!Sasuke Slight fairy tale/hint of magic kind of universe.





	

**On the eve of battle**

**Author's note:** So two of my favorite characteristics about Naruto are his bravery and his selflessness. I wrote this oneshot to explore those things. And also as close as I could get to a request from Manga Bae to write something like a fairy tale. I just... most fairy tales have like... one super weak character and I don't want to put one of them in 'the female role'. So... here it is! Thanks to Tandy_Hard for reading this through and encouraging me and Mykko_Chan for beta'ing this. Love you ladies!

I had briefly posted this on FF.net but took it down since people didn't like it.  I don't know if people will like it here, either, but some of my readers here asked me to post it so they could read it.  I know it's sort of a strange story, so whatever.  I had fun writing it and I like the sort of romantic 'knights and castles' stories sometimes, but not everyone does.  

 **Warnings!** Violence and non-major character deaths (a shit-ton of non-major character deaths). NOT MEANT TO BE A REALISTIC FIC (for those of you who just finished Fades, this is NOT LIKE THAT!)

* * *

Naruto looked out over the hall, a calm sense of pride and purpose washing over him at the laughter, conversation, and camaraderie that filled it. All the knights of his kingdom were assembled here, celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of their victory in the last war. The war had claimed the life of Naruto's parents, leaving him an orphan mere days after his birth, but it had brought about decades of peace.

He had trained hard to honor his parents' sacrifice and those of the knights that had fought and died by their side.

A week ago, though, Naruto had received a word that the hard-won peace was over. At the expense of his mentor's life, Jiraiya had brought them critical warning of an advancing army, the size of which had never been seen before. Naruto remembered the way his stomach had frozen when he'd read the coded message, and the inexorable conclusion of what would be required of him.

He was ready.

Naruto took a drink of his mead. It was the same cup he had been nursing all night. He was a young king, expected to join the festivities. Yet he knew what the morning would bring, and he would need a clear head and steady hand to face it.

His piercing blue eyes scanned over the faces of the men and women assembled in his hall... his friends and mentors. There were over three hundred of them here with him tonight. A heavy weight settled over his heart, but it was followed by a fierce sense of pride in his people. By tomorrow, a third would be gone, but none showed an ounce of fear or hesitation. His eyes met those of Asuma. One of the one hundred knights Naruto had selected to ride with him at daybreak. The man would be leaving early to spend the rest of the evening with his wife and son. He was one of the few men with children that Naruto had chosen, but Asuma's son had already passed the age of twelve and would be trained as a soldier starting the following spring.

It didn't make it any easier that his father would not be there to guide him, but it would mean the boy would live to do so, and Asuma had been firm that he was willing to make this sacrifice.

Naruto looked down at his untouched plate, mentally chastising himself for not eating. He would need his strength. If his home - his people - were to survive, he would need every last ounce of energy tomorrow. He picked up a piece of bread, dipping it in the hearty meat stew that had been prepared by the castle cooks, biting into it and forcing his throat to accept it.

He felt eyes boring into him, and looked up, unsurprised to find a pair of black eyes latched on him. As was the custom between allied kingdoms, King Itachi had sent his younger brother, Sasuke, to serve as a knight in Naruto's court. It bound their lands closer together, and kept the alliance strong. Gaara had sent his sister as an advisor, and Temari was now wed to Shikamaru, Naruto's top advisor.

Naruto nodded formally to the Uchiha prince, then forced his gaze to shift elsewhere, as he had been making himself do for the past five years, ever since ascending to the throne as king.

Sasuke didn't outwardly react to the action. He had more than grown used to Naruto ignoring and over-looking him. Naruto knew that it bothered the young prince. Sasuke was the same age as Naruto, and their similarity in rank and skill should have made them close friends. When Sasuke had arrived at the age of twelve, it had. For eight years, until Naruto was deemed old enough to take the throne from the acting regent, they had been best friends. They had trained together, both of them blowing away the expectations of their mentors, earning praise and fame for their fighting prowess.

Their rivalry had been legendary. They were known to be caught sneaking out to spar in the middle of the night and battling against each other relentlessly for various championship prizes in the tournaments. They had been inseparable friends first and foremost. Naruto had shoved aside his other, more complicated feelings for his sparring partner as they'd matured. Sasuke had never shown any sexual interest in males or females, and Naruto would be risking war between the Land of Wind and the Fire Kingdom should he offend the prince in that way. Not to mention that, as future king, he never wanted to put Sasuke in a position of feeling like he had to 'obey' with something like that. He could never risk it. He respected Sasuke far too much. So he had forced himself to be happy with their friendship.

It had all changed when Naruto had ascended to the throne. He had learned then that the peace that he thought his parents had won with their sacrifice was only temporary. The enemy that had nearly destroyed their kingdom was slowly rebuilding its forces, and had focused specifically on Naruto as their main target. Anyone close to him would be in danger of an assassination attempt.

Naruto's mother had belonged to a kingdom that had been destroyed by them, and his father had led the charge that had finished them. Naruto represented both. So he had distanced himself from Sasuke and everyone else he held dear, letting Sasuke fill the role of knight, but nothing more.

It had been so hard to not show favoritism - especially when Sasuke had continued to excel beyond all others - so hard for Naruto to not let his true feelings show.

But somehow, Naruto had known that this day would come, and that he would have to make this choice.

Just as his father and mother before him had.

* * *

It was well after midnight when Sasuke entered his chambers, escorted by the servant who had roused him from his slumber. Despite drinking somewhat more heavily than usual at dinner, Naruto noticed that Sasuke's eyes were sharp and focused.

He eyed Naruto warily as he sank down on one knee, bowing formally before the king, though there was never any deference in his gaze.

"You summoned me, your highness?" Sasuke's tone was neutral and perfectly polite, as always. And, as always, it pierced Naruto with a fierce sense of loneliness for the days when Sasuke would slant him a smirk and call him 'Naruto', or 'idiot'. Back when Sasuke had been his friend, and not his subject.

But that was long ago, before Naruto had felt the heavy weight of what it would mean to be the king's son. He looked down at his former friend, the man who had meant so much more to him than he would ever be allowed to express, drinking in the sight of him for the last time. The lanterns in his private meeting chambers made Sasuke's skin almost seem to glow, and Naruto took a moment to record the perfect angles of his face and strong lines of his body in crystalline clarity in his mind. This was the image that he would carry with him into battle… the sight that would spur him on to do what must be done.

Naruto realized he had let the moment stretch too long when a slight crease appeared on Sasuke's brow.

"Leave us," Naruto said to the guards and servants who were stationed in the room. He did not give Sasuke permission to rise, a discourtesy that was noticed by the young prince judging by the tension in his shoulders. But Naruto needed that… needed to maintain the distance between them, or he would falter.

Naruto waited until the door closed behind the last guard, leaving them alone. He could feel the weight of Sasuke's unasked questions building… why had Naruto summoned him so late at night, then sent the guards away? It was foolish, Naruto knew. It was self-indulgent of him to want this moment, but if this was to be his last night on this earth, then he wanted to spend at least five minutes of it with the person he would miss the most when he was gone. He would give himself this one thing.

"Shikamaru will be arriving as soon as I leave to further brief you. I know that you are aware that I have selected a group of knights to accompany me on a mission," Naruto began, his voice showing none of the turmoil he felt inside. He was king. He did not have the luxury of being sad or uncertain in front of others, no matter what emotions screamed inside of him.

Sasuke's face remained expressionless, but Naruto saw the flicker of irritation in the dark eyes. He chuckled slightly. "I know that you were pissed off that I chose others to accompany me on this and not you. But I… have my reasons." Naruto drew a breath to steady himself. The small tell was not lost on Sasuke, and he immediately saw the dark eyes focus in concern, all traces of irritation vanishing.

Naruto pressed his lips together and looked off to the corner of the room for a moment. Sasuke _had_ been annoyed as he had watched Naruto pull aside some of his most trusted advisors and mentors, one after the other, but had studiously avoided speaking with Sasuke at all for most of the day. Naruto had watched the man refill his cup in frustration, but - as always - Sasuke didn't go past the point where he couldn't be useful if needed, for which Naruto was grateful. Sasuke would need all of his wits about him now.

"What I am about to tell you is something that only Kakashi, Shikamaru, and myself know. The hundred knights that will be leaving with me within the hour know part, but not the whole of what I am about to say."

Naruto could tell he had his vassal's full attention, black, intelligent eyes fixed on him.

"When I acceded to the throne, I was informed that the remnants of the army that destroyed the Kingdom of the Whirlpool and tried to destroy the Kingdom of the Leaf were rebanding."

Sasuke only nodded, and Naruto assumed that Itachi had already informed his brother of as much.

"We were unable to locate their base, though we tried to find them and remove them before they gained strength, we were unsuccessful. But we were able to learn something of their plans. Their leader was unknown, but Jiraiya had heard through his network that they were targeting me, specifically. They still planned to destroy the Leaf, Fire and Sand kingdoms, but they wanted to start with me, personally, as the son of the man who had thwarted their last attempt."

Naruto paused, wanting to say more about how that had forced him to change how he treated Sasuke, because he had wanted to protect him, to prevent him from becoming a target. But the words would only make the leave-taking harder. He could see from the calculating look in Sasuke's expression that he was already beginning to connect some of the dots on his own. He wouldn't need Naruto to spell it out.

"Before Jiraiya died last month," Naruto paused and drew a breath, steeling himself from his grief. There was no time for it here. "Before he died, he was able to infiltrate their organization. We decoded the information only days ago. He found plans of a large army of mercenaries being assembled. Larger than anything we could ever have been expecting. He wasn't able to get the size of it, but… it was at least a thousand strong."

Sasuke's eyebrows rose. "Our army is less than a third of that size, but the castle fortifications are strong. We can easily hold off a force of that size and simply pick them off one by one from the battlements. This castle has withstood larger forces before."

Naruto smiled slightly at Sasuke's use of the term "our army" rather than "your army". He knew he had made the right choice.

"In the past, yes. But Jiraiya also found plans for a siege weapon. According to his report, they already have at least two dozen ready. Shikamaru analyzed the plans, and even five of them would be able to bring the walls down within hours. The structure is designed to be almost impossible to take out from above, meaning we can't just light it up with our archers from the towers. If you combine that with a ground army like the one Jiraiya says they have assembled to send with it, we won't be able to take the weapons out in time if they reach our walls. Konoha will fall within a day if that army reaches our gates."

Sasuke's body had gone completely still as he realized the implications, and what the mission was that Naruto would be leading. "No." Sasuke's voice was low, and filled with an emotion that Naruto didn't dare let himself think on.

"The last reports from Jiraiya we received indicated that the army was already assembling and on the move. Shikamaru studied the plans for the siege weapon, and he found a vulnerability. If we can get close enough to them on the ground, we can burn the wooden wheels and bases that the weapon needs to be moved. If we disable the wheels before they're in range of the city's walls, they're basically useless. But once they reach the gates, it will be too late. We finally have their location, Sasuke. This is our only chance. If they were able to keep on schedule, they will arrive at our gates within three days. Four at the most. We sent word to Itachi and Gaara immediately, but the fastest that reinforcements could arrive from the Sand or Fire would be six days. If this force arrives at the gates of the citadel with its siege weapons and army intact, Konoha will fall. And they will raze it to the ground, killing every living thing within its walls as they did with the Whirlpool kingdom. They will fortify themselves here long enough to heal and make repairs, then move on to the next kingdom. If the reinforcing armies arrive after the city is taken, they will be killed against her walls."

Naruto had to look away as he saw the stricken realization that they were out of choices dawn over Sasuke's face. But there was more to be said, and no more time to say it in.

"I am taking one hundred men and leaving within the hour. We used the victory celebration as a cover to fortify the citadel with food and water in preparation for the siege. You will have several weeks' worth of supplies in the event that reinforcements are delayed."

Sasuke's hand trembled slightly where it rested on the floor in front of him, his eyes burning fiercely, unwaveringly locked on Naruto.

"I have taken the knights that have no families, or whose families are mostly grown. They know the odds of this mission. It will be similar to the one my father led twenty-five years ago."

"Naruto -"

This sound of his name from Sasuke's lips after so many years made Naruto smile slightly, but he couldn't let the man continue. He could not be weak in this moment.

"Sasuke," Naruto said gently. "Please. There is more I need to tell you, and there is no time for discussion. I know my duty as king. I… have had time to prepare myself. It might not have been what I had wanted, before I found out but…," Naruto steeled himself against the moment of vulnerability. "Someone will need to lead the forces here, and help the kingdom to rebuild after the battle. I have no heirs, so it is fully within my power as king to name my successor to the throne."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

Naruto continued. "At sunrise tomorrow, you will be crowned the new King of Konoha. Shikamaru has my seal on the required documents."

"I am not a native to this kingdom," Sasuke said, shock evident on his face. "And I am younger than most of your knights and advisors."

"You're a few months older than me. And of all my knights and advisors, you were the best candidate. Even Shikamaru agreed." Naruto didn't bother to mention that several of the elders _had_ raised objections. Naruto had been able to win them over, though. They would support Sasuke fully when the time came. "I told them that - if they disagreed with my choice - they could default to the old tradition of combat to the death between rivals for the throne and challenge you for it." Naruto grinned, despite everything, pride in the strength of his childhood friend spiking through. "Shockingly, none of the men in the room, old or young, took me up on that."

"Tch," Sasuke snorted, but his lips curved as well.

"So, um," Naruto shifted, the facade of his position slipping for a moment as he looked at his friend. The man who - in only a few hours - would be the new king of the country that Naruto loved. "Shikamaru is waiting outside to brief you on everything we know about the army."

Sasuke looked up from where he still had one knee on the floor. "None of what you told me is something that he would have needed to wait outside for."

Naruto gave a lopsided smile. Of course, Sasuke would see right through him. A fierce sense of admiration flooded though Naruto. Sasuke would make a good ruler over Naruto's home. He was leaving it in good hands. The best hands. He cleared his throat at the emotion that swamped him. "True. I… I wanted to have just this one time alone with you." He couldn't make himself look at Sasuke, though he wondered what the man made of his statement. "It's funny how something like this focuses a person. You think about what matters most. What you're leaving behind."

Naruto finally got the nerve to look Sasuke in the face, but could read nothing in the carefully blank expression of his friend.

Naruto walked slowly to where Sasuke still knelt on the hard, grey stones of the castle floor.

"I watched you, you know. I was careful not to show favoritism, but it was hard. Sasuke, you…" Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head in a self-conscious manner that was definitely not befitting a king. "So many people pursued you. But you never showed any interest. I don't even know if you like men or women or just… not at all. Not that it would have mattered. I mean… there was no way that I could have said anything. It's, uh..." Naruto chuckled. "Sort of the downside of being the heir to the throne. If you ask for something, people take it as an order, and I would never… I mean… I wouldn't want…" Naruto's hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. "Fuck. I don't know what I'm doing. I just… before I go, I wanted…"

The only sign that Sasuke was understanding even a small part of what Naruto was trying to fumblingly say was the slight widening of his eyes. Naruto had tried to think of what he would say, imagined himself making a powerful declaration of his feelings and respect before leaving, but - in his nerves - he was fumbling it all. He couldn't bear to ride to battle with Sasuke's rejection or disdain, though. Even if it was an illusion, he wanted to take this one small thing with him.

"I'm still your king until dawn. The guards at the door have orders not to let you leave this room until then. You and Shikamaru will see the final planning of the city's defenses, and then you will put them in motion as king." Naruto's voice was rough, but he forced himself to continue. "My last order to you is just to… not say anything. Until I leave the room. Just… just hear me out. Do you understand?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, clearly not happy with this, but he nodded. A king's orders were absolute, and to disregard a direct order would be a slap in the face to a king about to die for his kingdom. Knowledge of that fact was clear in both men's minds. Naruto knew he had effectively bound Sasuke's hands, but it was the only way he could say what he needed to say.

Naruto gave a short nod as understanding passed between them. "Good. Then, I want you to know, that, I, uh, I've been in love with you for a long time, Sasuke. Not the brotherly kind of love or the friendship kind of love."

Sasuke looked completely shocked, and his lips parted, but then he remembered the order Naruto had given and paused, glancing over at the door, then looking back at Naruto.

"I don't expect anything. I never expected anything back. But I just… before I left, I needed to just… tell you. It was the one thing I always wanted to be able to do. So, I'm doing it now." Naruto walked over so he was standing directly in front of Sasuke, looking down at him, then lowered himself to one knee so he was eye level with Sasuke. "I figure, it can't do any damage to say at this point given… everything."

Sasuke's face was still blank of anything other than shock. Naruto reached up, letting his fingers slide into Sasuke's hair like he'd imagined doing a thousand times. The jet-black strands were soft against his fingers, and he memorized the feel of it. He leaned forward, brushing his lips across Sasuke's in a reverent but still chaste kiss. The cool, firm texture of Sasuke's lips was something Naruto wanted to explore, to see if he could evoke a response from them, but it wasn't his right. He had taken enough, more than he should have without permission.

He stood abruptly, trying to ignore the flash of anger that he saw in Sasuke's eyes, grateful that he had ordered Sasuke to not say anything. He could pretend he hadn't seen the anger, could hold to the idea that Sasuke might have felt something more for him, had their circumstances been different.

"Sorry," Naruto said, hoarsely. "I just..."

There was a knock on the door, and Shikamaru's voice carried through. "The knights are assembled, your highness. It's time."

Naruto didn't look back at Sasuke as he left. He couldn't face the anger or possibly even disgust he might see on the man's face. "Protect my people, Sasuke. We'll slow the army down as much as we can, but in the end, their safety will fall to you."

He strode through the doors, his boots echoing in the corridor. He thought he heard Sasuke's voice calling out to him, but he didn't look back. Shikamaru would tell Sasuke all he needed to know, and the guards wouldn't let him do something foolish like ride out after them. Not that Sasuke would. Like Naruto, Sasuke knew his duty, and would put that ahead of anything else.

Their people would be safe.

* * *

Naruto finished putting on his armor, wearing the red cloak that signified his position as King over the heavy plate. The burden of it felt especially heavy that night, but he would give these men the honor of taking their final ride out of their city under the banner of the King. He greeted each of his knights by name. They all knew the odds of this evening, and he was humbled by the fact that every single one of them had shown up as directed.

There were no knights braver in any land.

But there was one rider that he had not expected to see. A man his own age, with triangle tattoos on each cheek.

"Inuzuka! What the fuck are you doing here? You should be in your bed by now. Or trying to get into Hinata's," Naruto chuckled, though he knew it sounded forced. He had not wanted to have to say goodbye to his friends this way.

Kiba looked at his childhood friend; the usually humorous man was deadly serious. "You only took the aging horses."

Naruto froze as Kiba pulled his steed closer, their legs nearly brushing against each other. The one hundred knights had been under strict orders not to discuss the coming mission, other than they were going to intercept an armed group that had encroached on their territory. The rest of the knights would find out come dawn the full extent of what had happened, but by then Sasuke would be in command and they would have their own preparations to make. He didn't want to sacrifice any more than was absolutely needed for the city's survival. Naruto looked out over the courtyard, trying to think of something to say to his friend that wouldn't be a lie, but would put Kiba's questions to rest.

"Night missions are always dangerous. And we need the prime steeds strong for anything that comes to the city gates."

Kiba nodded, blowing out a breath in the cold air. "You aren't coming back, are you? The army that's coming… It's big, isn't it?"

Naruto didn't reply. He would not lie to his friend when it would be the last time they spoke.

Kiba looked him steadily in his eye. "You also didn't take anyone with small children, or any of the younger knights. And no medics."

"Kiba -" Naruto began.

"I'm not married. I have no children. Any my mother has another child still to keep her company. I'm riding with you."

"But Hinata -"

"Will live if we delay the army long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Isn't that the plan? Just like it was twenty-five years ago. And my father rode with yours."

Kiba was one of his bravest knights, but he had never been thought of as one of the smartest. Today Naruto was rethinking that assessment. "I don't want you to come with me," Naruto said. "But I won't order you to stay behind."

"Then I'm going with you."

"Kiba… all the knights here were told. There won't be a return trip for us."

Kiba shrugged, a devil-may-care grin filling his face. "Then we'd better make it worth our while, right?"

Naruto held his gaze a moment, an answering grin on his own lips. "Damn right."

Anko, who was mounted up next to them, gave a small huff of agreement.

"Then go find Sakura. She's has some additional supplies that you might need. We're not waiting for your ass."

* * *

When the final preparations were complete, Naruto heard someone call his name. He turned to find Sakura approaching, her face streaming with tears. Naruto had insisted she stay behind. They would need the medics here more than they would on the battlefield. "Did you talk to Sasuke? Did you tell him?"

Naruto gave a lopsided smile. Sakura was the only one he had ever told about his feelings for Sasuke. Since she had been in the same boat, loving Sasuke as she did, it had been easy for them to talk about it. "Yeah. He knows."

She nodded sharply, clearly annoyed with her inability to keep the tears at bay as she bit back a sob.

"He'll need your help. Yours and Shikamaru's, until the reinforcements arrive."

"You can count on me, Naruto." She tugged his cloak until he leaned down, and she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. When she finally released him, her face was fierce.

"You give them hell, Naruto! We will finish them off when they get to us, even if the reinforcements aren't in time."

Naruto nodded, knowing she would do everything in her power to make that statement true. They'd done all they could. It was time to leave. They rode out of the castle courtyard in a thunder of hoof beats, no hesitation in their stride or purpose.

* * *

Naruto looked over from where they were concealed beneath the cover of the heavy treeline. They had ridden hard for almost a full day to intercept their enemy under the cover of darkness on the cold, nearly moonless night.  The dull-red glow of the campfires making them easy to spot. The rough terrain would mean that the heavy siege weapons would have slow going, and Naruto hoped it would be enough to buy Itachi and Gaara time to arrive with reinforcements. But the sight that had greeted Naruto and his small force was not a welcome one.

The army was massive. Much more than even Naruto had realized. It was easily double what Jiraiya had estimated. In the dim light of the cook fires, he recognized the flags of some mercenary tribes. They'd clearly decided to take no chances, and had brought in outside help. He turned to face his knights, knowing that they were seeing the same thing he was, coming to the same conclusions. But none of it mattered. They still needed to fight. He had to find the words to give them strength, to convince them to go forward.

"I know what you're thinking. I'm thinking it, too. The army is larger than even Jiraiya had thought. They've hired help from the outside."

The horses shifted restlessly, picking up on the nerves of their riders. Naruto pushed ahead.

"But it doesn't matter. We don't fight for our own lives today. We fight for our mothers. Our sisters. Our sons. We fight for our home. I won't lie to you and tell you that we will be riding to victory today. I chose you all because you are all seasoned enough soldiers to recognize the situation for what it is. There will be no retreat."

He drew a breath. He could feel the fear rising in his ranks. He had to motivate them to fight, turn that fear into pure adrenaline that would help them try to turn the odds if only just by a little.

"We won't win this battle, but we _will_ win this war. Every man you cut down is one less your children will have to face. Every siege weapon you destroy buys one more hour before the walls are breached. One more hour for the reinforcements to arrive. One more hour for our archers to rain hell down on them from the towers."

Naruto unfastened the red cloak and the gold circlet from his head, then dropped them into the dirt.

"Tonight I will not be riding with you as your king. At dawn, Uchiha Sasuke was sworn in as the new king of Konoha. Regardless of the outcome today, he will remain king."

Naruto could see the shock on the faces of the men, and smiled. "We all know he is the best fighter in the citadel. There is no finer swordsman or leader amongst our ranks. Many people thought I didn't recognize it, but that is why I pushed him so hard. Aside from the fun of knowing it pissed him off."

There were a few chuckles at his words.

"He will protect our home. And he will bring an even tighter alliance with the Fire Kingdom. I would not ask something from you that I am not willing to do myself. We will face this battle together today. Those mercenaries will not have the pleasure of killing our King. The new King is safe behind the walls of our home. Today, they will only face the Beasts of Konoha. Show them no hesitation, no mercy. For they will show none when they attack our home."

Naruto turned, facing the sleeping army camp.

His eyes glowed red.

"Archers. Target the siege weapons where Shikamaru showed you their weakness is. Burn them to the ground. Swordsmen. Follow my lead. Cut them down before they are able to mount up. Every life we take now is one less that attacks our home. Even one less opponent could mean the difference between the city standing and falling. We've all wondered what we could really do if pushed to our limits. Now is the time to find out. Hold nothing back!"

There was no roar of battle cries, since stealth of this pre-dawn raid was key. They rode down the slopes and into the camp with ruthless speed, cutting down all in their path before the enemy could even mount their horses or draw their weapons. The archers had five of the siege towers and several of the tents ablaze before the enemy even had time to draw a breath.

But the surprise lasted only moment, the warning cry quickly waking the sleeping army, and the battle was fully engaged.  Naruto's men still had the advantage as they were fully armored.  But the numbers were still heavily stacked against them.

Naruto didn't let himself think. He swung his sword and cut through as many of his enemy as he could. He felt an arrow pierce his shoulder, but he simply switched arms and kept fighting.

He couldn't allow himself to check on his men, though he could tell the number of them was dwindling as the battle continued. They would fight to the last man and woman. A blade pierced his thigh, and Naruto turned and quickly severed the hand that gripped it before jerking the blade out of his leg and tossing it down. The blood poured freely from his wound, but Naruto ignored it

The pain didn't matter. It would not last forever. He had promised Sasuke that he would do his best to give them a fighting chance at saving the city, and he always kept his promises.

Naruto lifted his head and saw a cluster of the siege weapons a short distance away. He clenched his jaw, and forced himself forward.  He had to take them out.  The walls would protect the city from the foot soldiers and knights if the siege weapons could be kept away.

There was a camp fire nearby, a mercenary tribe's flag hanging limply next to it. Naruto blocked the swing of a blade heading for his throat, charging forward on his horse and grabbing the flag, skimming it through the fire and feeling a sense of relief as it caught alight almost instantly. He rode towards the wooden machines on wheels, fighting the blackness that began to creep into his vision. Even if he could just take a couple more of them out, it would give Sasuke a fighting chance. He had to keep going.

_Just a little more._

He heard a roar of battle from behind him, but ignored it as he set the first of the five siege weapons ablaze. Shouts from around him confirmed that his plan was not going unnoticed, but he pushed on, moving to the next one and setting it alight. Two down, three to go. He wondered how many the others had managed to take out, but he couldn't risk looking around to count. He kept his focus on his goal, blocking a blow from an enemy soldier and slicing through him on the return stroke as he charged forward to the third wooden structure. There were at least six riders closing in on him. He wouldn't be able to make it. With his remaining strength, he threw the burning flag like a spear, sending it flying into the wooden base of the third weapon, smiling ferally in satisfaction as it caught almost immediately. He heard a shout from behind him, but the blood loss was finally catching up to him. He didn't even seeing the blade that came swinging down on him, as he was already falling from his saddle.

He could hear the continued sounds of fighting around him, and smiled despite his fading consciousness, knowing his comrades had fought well.  They had dealt a major blow to their foes. He hoped it had been enough. His last thought was that the safety of his people was in Sasuke's hands.  The thought gave Naruto peace. Naruto knew that if anyone could protect his people, it would be Sasuke.

* * *

The first thing Naruto became aware of was pain. Everywhere. Every single part of his body hurt, even his eyelids. He thought it was odd, since he had assumed that the one benefit of death was going to be that shit didn't hurt anymore. He was a little bit annoyed that it hadn't worked out that way.

Blackness washed back over him before he could think more about it.

* * *

The next time Naruto had any sort of consciousness, there was sound in addition to pain. In particular, there was someone speaking. Naruto tried to get his head to make sense of the words, but it was all blurry.  The voice was one that he knew, and it soothed him. He had thought he wouldn't hear it after he died, but he thought it was worth being able to hear _this_ voice even if he also had to deal with the pain.

"... such an idiot. You had to go charging in right in the fucking _middle_ of everything instead of doing something sane…"

Despite the agony in his body, he wished he could laugh. Nothing moved when he tried, but he supposed that was probably normal, since he was dead. He had to make do with laughing on the inside. Before he'd become king, Sasuke would always give him hell whenever he went off half-cocked in a training session or mission they had together. Fortunately, Naruto was skilled enough in battle that things usually turned out fine in the end, but Sasuke would always tell him when he should have thought things through more, taken the time to come up with an actual battle plan.

Of course, Naruto _had_ come up with a plan this time. It just was one that required him to charge into the middle of shit. Sasuke didn't have a right to bitch him out this time.

Naruto wondered if Sasuke's voice was all in his head, or if Sasuke was somewhere down on earth cursing out his corpse. It wouldn't surprise him. The thought had Naruto's lips curving, and though it wasn't a full laugh, Naruto felt proud of himself for even the small accomplishment.

"Naruto?" Sasuke's voice sounded closer, and more urgent this time. That was… weird.

"Naruto. Can you hear me?"

It suddenly occurred to Naruto that he was feeling pain and hearing Sasuke's voice because he might not actually be all the way dead yet. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, given the way he'd left things with Sasuke, but he wanted to at least answer the man's question. The best he could manage was to part his cracked lips and breathe out, though. It didn't even make a noise, and Naruto was really fucking annoyed with it.

"Sakura!" Sasuke's voice was sharp and commanding, and Naruto would have just _loved_ to see the look on Sakura's face for being talked to like that, but he couldn't open his eyes to actually do so, and ended up passing out again from the effort of parting his lips.

* * *

The next time Naruto became aware of his surroundings, he was able to tell that the room was cool and dark and quiet. He slowly opened his eyes, that movement alone requiring tremendous effort.

He recognized it as his own bedroom, the heavy canopy bed the one he'd moved into after assuming the throne. Annoyance flashed through him. This was supposed to be _Sasuke's_ chambers now. Not his. That asshole had better not have skipped out on his duties or Naruto was going to have to kick his ass. Right after he was able to move something other than his eyelids.

"Your majesty! I mean… sir! I..." the fumbling, words came from a young soldier who evidently had been keeping guard by his bedside. "Just… hold on! I need to get the King and find Sakura. I…" the man didn't bother finishing his sentence before he turned and sprinted from the room.

 _Konohamaru_ , Naruto remembered with amusement. Just graduated from squire to knight. Over-eager and over-confident, but he was sure Sasuke would beat that out of him in short order and make him into a damn good soldier. After all, if he'd managed to knock Naruto in line, Sasuke could pretty much handle anyone.

At least Konohamaru had said he was going to go get the king, which meant that Sasuke _hadn't_ actually gone against Naruto's last fucking orders. It would have been just like that asshole to disregard Naruto's dying wishes like that, Naruto thought with a smirk.

His eyes drifted closed before the commotion of running feet in the hallway could reach him.

* * *

Naruto had no idea how much time had passed before he opened his eyes again, but he didn't think it had been as long as the last few times.

He swallowed, and noticed how dry his mouth was.

The curtains were open, and the faint pre-dawn light was just starting to appear on the horizon. It highlighted a figure in silhouette sitting on a chair, apparently asleep. The sharp, spiky outline of the man's hair left little doubt as to the man's identity.

"Sasuke?" Naruto rasped out. His voice barely audible, but it was evidently enough to wake the man sitting beside him.

Sasuke leaned forward, the low light of the bedside lantern bringing his face into focus. Sasuke looked down at him, and it struck Naruto that their roles were now reversed.

"You look like shit."

Naruto breathed out a soft sound that was about as much as he could do for a laugh. "Yeah. Feel like it, too." His voice was dry, barely above a whisper.

"How…," Naruto trailed off, too many questions and not enough air to voice them. But he didn't need to. Sasuke knew what he wanted to know.

"Gaara had a group out training in the mountains. They were about a half day's ride from where you engaged the enemy. When he got your message, he sent a falcon to them with your location. They took the army by surprise from behind after your men had engaged them from the front."

Naruto couldn't quite nod, but he let his eyes drift closed briefly to acknowledge what Sasuke had said. Even so, a training group wouldn't have had more than another hundred or so knights. They couldn't have defeated the entire army, even with the double element of surprise.

"They were able to finish taking out all of the siege weapons. The invaders then made a tactical error, and decided to try to take the city by sheer force. We were ready for them. Itachi's reinforcements arrived a day after they reached the city, and he smashed the remaining forces against the walls. The few survivors that there were are in the prison holds of the castle."

"Who?" Naruto tried to ask. The one mystery of all of this was who had set it up. But Sasuke shook his head.

"We don't know. It's unclear if your men took him out in the surprise attack or if he died in battle here, or ran away when it was clear that it was over. No one left alive ever saw his face or called him anything other than "General"."

"Fuck," Naruto breathed out. It was a victory, but they wouldn't know for sure if it was truly the end of it. "The others?"

Sasuke's face was grim. "Most didn't make it. But there were a few survivors. Gaara's training mission had an experienced medic. Chiyo. Sakura took a small group to the front when we heard there might be a chance to retrieve survivors."

Naruto frowned. He had fucking _told_ her not to do that. Though if she managed to save some of his knights, he would be grateful.

Sasuke chuckled, clearly reading his thoughts. "You forget, Naruto. You aren't the king anymore. I gave the order."

Something in Sasuke's tone caught Naruto's attention, and he looked up to find Sasuke's eyes waiting for him.

"I thought about what you said," Sasuke looked out as dawn painted the sky in wild shades of pink and orange. "How you didn't want to say anything to me because - as my king - you didn't want me to feel like I had to obey any overture you made."

Sasuke turned to face Naruto, looking down at where he lay in the bed. "It was noble of you, not to use your power to order someone to your bed when you knew you could."

Sasuke leaned down, slowly, one hand coming to rest on the side of Naruto's head. "I wanted to let you know, I have no intention of doing the same."

Before Naruto could process the full meaning of Sasuke's words, Sasuke's lips were brushing across his, then pressing more forcefully. Naruto's mouth opened, and Sasuke's tongue swept in, unapologetic and unhesitating. Naruto wanted nothing more than to twist his fingers into Sasuke's hair and drag him down on the bed with him, but his body was barely able to make his jaw muscles work enough to participate in the kiss.

Eventually, Sasuke pulled back, and Naruto reveled in the predatory light in Sasuke's eyes.

"You… what?" Naruto asked, feeling slightly dazed.

Sasuke arched a brow. "You didn't notice you were in my bed?"

Naruto blinked, then he felt his face run hot. He laughed, then hissed at the pain in his body. "I thought… you just hadn't moved your rooms yet."

The look Sasuke sent him told Naruto just how unlikely it was that Sasuke would have _forgotten_ something as symbolically important as the King sleeping in the King's chambers. For security reasons alone, they would have moved him here before the coronation ceremony was even complete, especially with war upon them.

"Idiot. Just don't take too long to get your strength back. You made me wait eight years."

Naruto felt fatigue wash back over him, pulling him back down to sleep, but he vowed he'd break every expectation of the medics on his recovery.

Sasuke wasn't the only one who'd been waiting.

* * *

**The end.**

So... it's a little bit cheesy, but I warned in the beginning that this was a fairy tale vibe kind of universe, so... it is what it is! But I needed some distraction from real life. And here we are!


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